wittman



UNITED Srn'rns PATENT JOHN M. \VITTMAN, OF ST. MARYS, PENNSYLVANIA.

lvlUSlC-LEAr TURNER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 294,298, dated February26, 1884,

Application filed March 8, 1883.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. Wrrrimw, of the borough of St. Marys, in thecounty of Elk and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Music-Leaf Turners, of which the following is afull,clear,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsand letters of ref erence marked thereon, in which Figure 1 is a planview of my improved music-leaf turner, and Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, S and9 are detail views.

My invention relates to improvements in music-leaf turners; and itconsists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts, ashereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a music-rack, provided near itslower end with a plate, M, which serves to prevent the music fromsliding ofi the rack.

B is a narrow wooden lath, glued to the bottom of the rack A, so thatthe pages in turning will free the strip of wood found on organs andpianos, and its purpose is also toprevent the trigger F from strikingthe piano. A narrow groove pierces the center piece, D, from behind,into which are placed the wire arms 0, whose ends are bent into theshape of right angles and driven into the wood in such a manner as tocause their elasticity to incline them to the left when bent over to theright. The brass plate M is pierced with as many smallholes as there arewire arms, through which the wire arms 0 are inserted in the woodencenter piece, D. The wire arms 0 are formed with catches, clamps, orsnappers K near their ends, which are made out of sheet metal providedwith the sheet-spring N, or they may be made of wire, as shown in Fig.8, either of which kinds of snapper will hold its page firmly. Ongrasping a page it is laid over to the right, and the snapper holding itis at the same time run down the narrow opening or slot P, Fig. 3, inthe upright O of plate H, and the steel trigger F, Fig. 4, is presseddown ward to prevent the wire from escaping. Each wire with its page issimilarly treated. The wire arms 0 are of unequal lengths, and are madeto overlap in, order to pass each other,

(ModelJ the longest being the first to place in the slot P, Fig. 2.lVhen all the arms have been thus inserted, the steel trigger F, Fig. 4,rises by means of the spiral spring G, Fig. 2, which is wound around themetal pin V, Fig. 9, and prevented by the small metal peg S, Fig. 9,from uncoiling, and the top wire arm is caught in the notch V, Fig. n.But one arm can escape at a ti me, as the narrow opening P, Fig. 3, isnot wider than one wire arm, andis so curved (P, Fig. 3) as to decreasethe friction of the other arms against the circle or cam n, (betweenletters V U, Fig. 4,) and to release the arm from the notch V, Fig. 4.,on the least downward movement of the trigger F, Fig. 4. The secondnotch, U, Fig. 4,.is a stop to determine the distance to be traversed bythe trigger F, Fig. 4, and prevents it from descending too far. Thetrigger F, Fig. 4, can be either split or there can be another piece ofmetal attached to it, according to the kind of metal used to hold therounded concave cardboard R, Fig. 9, by blowing against which theperformer raises the notch V, Fig. 4, and re leases the upper wire armwith its page. Thus he is enabled to turn the pages of the music beforehim successively without removing his fingers from the key-board of theorgan or piano, &c. This card-board may be removed at theplayers optionand the pages turned by slightly striking the trigger F, Fig. 4, with afinger. The upright 0, Fig. 2, which may be either of steel or brass, isscrewed to the narrow steel plate H, which can be raised or lowered byshoving a small metal wedge under it, thus raising the catcher, &c.,uprights O to any required height to reach the pages of thick bookswithout bending the wire arms G. Said steel plate H, Fig. 2, is attachedto the wooden lath B by means of the screw J, Fig. 2. Iron hooks L, Fig.6, are placed on the rack A, opposite the center piece, D, to hold lightsheet-music in position and to prevent its flying from the frame A, Fig.1, on turning. Holes are made in the margin of the music-sheets, throughwhich the hooks aforesaid are placed. The end of each hook T, Fig. 6, issplit so as to fit tightly in the hole on the rack opposite the centerpiece. The small holes into which the pointed ends of the iron hooks areinserted are about one-sixteenth of an inch in depth, and merely for thepurpose of holding the. hooks steady.

\Vhat I claim'as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. The combination, with rack A, having its center piece, D, groovedupon its rear side,

and angular spring-arms O, of unequal length, having clamps on theirouter ends, slotted upright O, trigger F, having notches V U and cam n,and spring G, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with rack A, having its center piece, D, providedwith a narrow groove on the rear side, right-angular springarms 0, ofunequal length fitting in said groove,

and having clamps on their outer ends, and perforated plate M, of aplate, H, provided with adjustable upright 0, having an angular slot, P,trigger F, provided with notches V U

